Digging a Hole with a Teaspoon

You have heard the expression of a death by a thousand cuts. This idea is similar. Digging a hole with a teaspoon is slow and you don't really see the progress you are making until suddenly you look up one day and wonder, "How did I get here?"

This is a lesson in not doing as I have done. Heed the warnings.

The problem is, you may, like me, not see how bad it is until the hole is much deeper than you intended. I am talking about pricing. Specifically underpricing. The biggest part of the trap for me, was the idea that "people won't pay more than $xx for this." And I let that idea guide my decisions for too long, even while seeing warning signs along the way.

Cranes. Of course. I seem to live and breath cranes. Cranes to sell. Crane to memorialize. And in this case, the intersection of the two was part of what made me wake up. Let me begin by saying I had increased my crane price three times in the last few years. The wholesale price had doubled over that time.

But....and this is a very big but....the product I am selling today is not the same product I was making and selling then. At first the surface design was fairly simple. And they were not sold in any special packaging, But, I added the packaging and informational inserts, and increased the price significantly. Sales took off. I was a happy camper.

Then, I started playing. I started to do more involved canework on the surface of the cranes here and there. And the customers loved it. "Send more of those ones with all the detailed patterns. Everyone loved them!" I would be pleased with the feedback, but also sigh a bit as I realized it would be more work. Soon that was nearly all I was selling. Meanwhile, the price had only gone up by about a dollar, but the labor was about fourfold more. Folding cranes for the Crane Project put into sharp focus for me just how long it was taking me to make these intricately patterned cranes. I saw what I had been trying to ignore.

Initially when I would ship the cranes across country, I could ship to California or Washington state, Priority Mail, for only about $6 or $7. I offered free shipping. I figured I could easily absorb that into the price structure. Last summer though, the Post Office revamped their price structure, and suddenly it was more than double that cost to ship across country. Ouch! This spring, the prices took another big jump. I had added a shipping surcharge to crane orders west of the Mississippi, but it was not going to be enough.

Then, the breakage started. I had shipped for two years with not one crane breaking. Now, changes in clay formulation have presented challenges. I have had to revamp my packaging, adding further costs. Not to mention the credits or re-shipments I had to make each time a broken crane was reported.

Can you feel my pain?

I had no room in my price structure for all of these problems to converge. But converge they did. With six more crane orders still to ship under the old price schedule, I knew I had to take action. It was time to begin to fill in the hole, and the teaspoon was not going to work. It was time to put things back in order quickly.

My prices have nearly doubled for the intricate cranes that everyone wants. If they want to pay the old prices, they will have to purchase the "Elemental cranes". Solid colors, to represent the five "elements", air, water, earth, fire, and metal. In between those prices I have cranes with crackled leaf.

I am now shipping FedEx Ground, at a much better rate. And I seemed to have solved the problem of breakage for now.

The reaction is unclear. But, in the end, I could not continue on the path I had been traveling.

Lessons, summarized:

1. If you add to your product, acknowledge that. It is a different product. Change the price. Rename it if you need to. Not all cranes were created equally, but I was pricing them as if they were. Some of you will be saying, of course. I would never do that. I hope you are right. But sometimes we do things that don't make sense, because they will be "easier".

2. Don't undervalue your labor. I was doing what I hate. I had gotten myself into a place that all I was doing was covering the costs of my materials and overhead, so I could make more cranes. Don't do that. It does not respect you. If you find yourself saying, "people won't pay...." Stop. If half the people will pay the new price, I will have the same dollar business, for half the work. I can definitely live with that. Too many people have also told me stories of raising prices, and losing their "high maintenance" customers. Another potential benefit.

3. Sometimes we need to re-evaluate suppliers. I had gotten comfortable with shipping my work by Priority Mail. I knew the drill. It was convenient. I didn't want to have to research alternatives. But in the end, I have a good service, for a much lower cost. And, my husband has a FedEx center right near where he works. I don't even have to leave home!

4. Things will change. At some point something you depended upon, and thought you knew will change. You will have to figure out a new way of doing things. I tried to avoid dealing with these issues for too long. I wanted them to go away. I did not have time. (Can you hear the two year-old tantrum welling up?) Once I decided on a plan of action, it was actually less stressful than trying to pretend the problem was not there, or that it would go away on it's own accord. It is not easy to own up to it, but I really did not want to have to deal with this. But being in business for yourself, there will be things that you have to do that you do not want to do. Unless you have employees, there is no one to delegate responsibility for these tasks. So buck up, and deal! And remind yourself how much you are happier doing what you are doing now...in spite of these kinds of stresses. And if you are not, then maybe a bigger change is in order......

History Lesson

At the recent Synergy Conference, during one of the panel discussions, Elise Winters commented that it would be wonderful if people could see the drawer full of "stuff" that precedes a more fully developed design. Her message was that work does not emerge fully developed. It takes time, trial, error, and a whole lotta ugly sometimes, before a concept reaches a point of "wow".

When I was preparing for my presentation at the conference, I had about 80 artists respond to a survey I put together. One of the comments that stayed with me was about a wish to have kept better records of the development of their work over time. Photos, etc.

Perhaps this is why I felt compelled to spend several hours yesterday, making my own little archive. And as I approach five years of polymer clay addiction, it is probably timely. That, and the fact that I finally had gotten around to setting up a Flickr account.

I highly recommend the journey. While much of the older work is truly cringe worthy, it is also intriguing to me to see patterns emerge. By collecting a selection of images from the hundreds and hundreds on my computer I can see a story. Watching how an idea starts in a rough form, and gradually develops with time. This collection shows some of the development behind my jewelry designs.

When you look at the series of crane pictures, it demonstrate what happens when you do something over and over again. You get better at it. The same can be seen with the vessels.

The earliest work is all over the place. Yet, there are certain things that appealed to me then, and appeal to me still. Who I was as an artist exists within some of that early work. I just couldn't see where I wanted to go with it yet.

In a way it is like any scrapbook of photos. When we look at old pictures of ourselves we cringe at the hairstyles and the fashion. But we also marvel at our youth. Perhaps we looked better than we thought we did at the time. Likewise, I cringed at designs, at finishing, at the photos themselves. But, I also see things there that I still connect with. Or some element that I want to go back and revisit again sometime in the future. Possibilities to still be explored.

I hope, in addition to providing you with a few good laughs, you will also see some of the process of how work emerges and develops. And I hope that you will make your own little archive of your history as an artist. What Elise is doing with her Polymer Art Archives looks at the overall history of the media. Our personal history is full of information as well. Take some time, and look the virtual scrapbook of your work. What patterns emerge? Where have you grown? Is there anything there that you want to revisit and go deeper into?

Never Say Never

Never and Always are dangerous words. There is no wiggle room. And in life we need wiggle room. Room to learn, to adapt, to change our minds a bit if we want. But with absolutes like never and always, there is no room for change.

Back when I decided to make my passion for polymer clay into a business of some sort, I knew I had something with my polymer clay cranes. I knew they were unique, and the political environment of the war helped fuel a demand for them.

But I had this fear. I didn't want to be making cranes all the time. I would go crazy. I could "never" do that. Or so I thought.

Fast forward a few years and now the cranes are a mainstay of my business. They are a good source of cashflow at a time that the craft market is very tight. I have gotten better at folding them, but there are still more rejects and seconds than I would like. I have developed packaging and a product insert that have increased sales significantly. But there still is a certain ambivalence.

Even so, I am getting ready to make a commitment to produce cranes for a catalog. There are no guarantees of the volume this will represent. If they take off, I could be making an awful lot of cranes. And, I will be making them in a few set patterns, not each one different than the last. A few years ago, I would have been horrified at the idea of this. Now, when I look at it, the benefits outweigh any potential tedium.

First, more studio time. As much as I love being in business for myself, what I love even more is being in the studio, working with the clay. Even if it is going to be making a design repeatedly, it will help fund the continued growth of my business. And having less worries about money always does good things for the creative spirit!

Efficiency. I would rather sell a carton of 27 cranes, all in one shot, ....or three cartons, or five......than spend time, money and energy trying to sell those cranes myself at a retail show. Somebody else sells and promotes the work, and I just have to make it and ship it to them to distribute. One large sale, rather than 20, 50 or more small sales.

The window of opportunity does not stay open forever. Eventually the political tide will shift, and the demand for peace cranes will fade. Someone else will copy what I am doing. This is my chance to take advantage of a unique product at a unique time.

Once again, I am about to make a leap of faith. Into the unknown. I don't know if this will be a blip, a boon or a burden. It may be a bust. Or it may lead to me hiring someone to take on some simple tasks. Only time will tell, and I know I will learn alot! Stay tuned.......

Lessons and Adjustments, Part 2

My changes to the booth on day 2 lead to a significant improvement in sales, but still not a great day. So I decided on day three, I had nothing to lose. I had to totally rethink my display and my work.

I had been looking at my work as if it was reflected in a fun house mirror. My perception was distorted. Loretta Lam put it well, "sometimes we fall too much in love with our work." I had been working hard in the previous few weeks, making changes, and new designs. I was excited about the changes and thought I was heading in the right direction. And I still believe that I am. But it takes more than good work to make a show work for you. In today's economy every aspect of presenting and selling your work matters. And I had gotten a lot of things wrong.

I started by moving the tables further forward. I moved everything onto two tables, and moved them as far forward as I possibly could. Seeing my work from the aisle became much easier.

Next, I began looking at the work I had out. I had a necklace that I loved as a focal point on one table. I loved the play of colors, and the way the pods were spaced out on the necklace. But the colors said spring or summer, not fall. And the weather was turning crisp and cool. While I might wear any color, any time of the year, not everyone else will.

So the necklace went back into stock and another piece that had more fall colors was moved into the prime spot. All the pinks, lavenders, and peaches went under the table, and all the earth tones, greens, silvers and greys came out.

I took a look at my prices, and "sharpened my pencil". All this work made a difference. The last day sales were higher than the first two days combined. It was not a good show overall, but I salvaged what I could from it, and learned some lessons in the process.

And today, I got a call from the manager of the gift shop at the Peabody Essex Museum. I had a customer on Sunday who mentioned she worked there. I had been trying for nearly two months to get in there with my polymer clay origami cranes. They have an origami exhibit there now that runs through till June of 2008. I thought my cranes would be a perfect fit for the gift shop. I just could not reach the gift shop manager.

When I found out that this person worked at the museum, and knew the woman I was trying to reach I was thrilled. I had brought some of my small cranes to give to people as gifts or "thank you's." I generally do not sell this size crane. I gave one to this woman to bring to the gift shop manager. It is packaged the same way as the larger cranes, but is quite a bit smaller. I gave one to my new customer, her sister, and one to her mother, while I was at it!! Why not build a little good will...

Today the gift shop manager called, and we talked for a bit about the cranes. And I got a nice size order. My show was salvaged. The order was for more cranes than I would normally sell at a retail show. Even though I missed some sales by not having cranes at the show, in the end, I was better off with this new account that could result in some great sales in the coming months.

As they say, "It ain't over, till it's over"....but even then, it may not be over!

A New Fold

The origami cranes from polymer clay have been a decided hit, both in sales, awards. It took me nearly three years to commit to them as a part of my product line. Last year I made the commitment, came up with suitable packaging, an insert, and started promoting them. It was the best business decision I ever made,...even if I had to be dragged to that decision!

My resistance came from several places. In part they were different than the rest of my work. Part of me looked at it as a party trick of sorts, and not a lot more. I would sell them at the holidays, but without packaging or information. I was afraid it would take over my life. I would do nothing but fold cranes. And last fall that was largely true. But supply and demand eventually come into play. I raised the price, and things have reached a more manageable level.

At several shows, I have had conversations about the cranes with origami afficianados. They have belonged to Origami USA, a national organization to promote origami. The organization helps to promote exhibits such as the one currently on display at the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, MA. At the Guilford show, I had such a conversation. And this time I went and signed up to become a member of the organization. Poking around on the website led me to play around with a few new designs, first on paper, and then in clay. The one I love is the 8 Point Star. I modified the folds of the design by Michael Shall to fold it from polymer clay. And here is the result....

I think I will be seeing stars in my future......

Michael Shall, by the way, worked as an assistant to Alice Gray at the Museum of Natural History in New York. She was the first to decorate a 25 foot tree at the museum with origami ornaments. She had to enlist the help of other museum workers, scout troops, and members of Origami USA to complete the task, but it has become an annual tradition now. Mr. Shall spread the tradition to the New York offices of Japan Air Lines, and eventually to Britian as well. He helped with the decoration of a 45 foot tree in Eindhoven at a shopping center in 1993. Origami Christmas trees have spread worldwide, and are the best advertisement for paperfolding. Michael Shall died in 1995 at the very young age of 45. But his contributions to building the tradition of the origami Christmas tree will live on.

1000 Cranes

1000 polymer cranes. I reached that milestone last week to the sound of "woohoo!"s from my daughters. When I began folding cranes from paper six year ago, with that 1000 goal in mind, I never imagined that I would end up here. I never reached the 1000 benchmark with paper. But I folded enough to be able to take the moves I knew instinctively and translate them into clay.
What keeps me folding are the stories I have learned along the way. The most touching to me was of a family in Indiana. They had lost their nephew/son/husband to the war in Iraq. He was a Marine who had a passion for origami. He folded cranes and handed them out to the kids in Iraq. But after a few months of duty, he was killed. The family has memorialized this special man with the crane. It is a touchstone for them of what he represented in his life, and a wish for peace. I still am overcome with emotion sometimes when I recall this story.
But there are also the kids who see my cranes and get so excited by them. Or the two women buying a pair of gold cranes for their parents 50th wedding anniversary. Or a woman who bought a crane to bring with her to China as a gift to the foster mother of her newly adopted daughter.I love it when people get excited about my other work, the jewelry and vessels. But the connections with the cranes give such richness to the process of creating them. It is more than making a pretty object. It is creating a touchstone or a symbol. It is humbling and gratifying work. (10/24/06) 6:18 pm pst